Key Word Analysis of Bismillah (2024)

Chapter 1, Verse 1

بِسْمِاللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

By invoking the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful, I recite. (2)

(2) KeyWord Analysis

باء (bā’)

The particlebā’whichappears at the beginning of bismillāhis not merely a letter of theArabic alphabet; rather, it is a letter that conveys a complete meaning. In theArabic language, some letters, apart from representing a character of thealphabet, also carry certain meanings. The letter bā’, the second letterof the Arabic alphabet, is one of the characters that conveys a completemeaning [by itself]. It signifies association and seeking help. Its literaltranslation is ‘by’ and ‘with’. However, since neither definition fully conveysthe proper meaning of bā’ on its own, it has been translated as ‘by invoking,’which is the closest phrase that can encompass both of the above meanings.Therefore, the translation of this verse would be, ‘Having associated myself withGod Almighty and seeking His help, I proceed to recite the following words’.

Bā’ isa preposition [ḥarf jarr]. That is, when nouns are preceded by theseprepositions, the last letter [of the noun] contains a kasrah or thesign of a kasrah[1].According to the rules of the Arabic language, many times before theseprepositions there is a hidden or implied word or phrase that is understood tobe there in the context of the sentence. Some have suggested that, before thisverse of bismillāh,اِقْرَأْ (iqra’) or اِشْرَعْ (ishra‘) is implied, meaning, ‘recite!’or ‘begin!’. They have justified this by citing the verse of Sūrahal-‘Alaq:

[2]اِقْرَأْبِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ,

‘Convey thou in the name of thyLord Who created’, arguing that the aforementioned word or somethingsimilar to it would be understood here.

Zamakhsharī[3] has suggested that the use of the present tense before the letter bā’ oughtto be aqra’u ‘I recite’ or ashra‘u ‘I begin’ instead of theiraforementioned imperative forms. Zamaksharī further states that these wordsought to be placed after bismillāh, which should be translated as, ‘by invokingthe name of Allah, I recite’ as opposed to ‘I recite, by invoking the name ofAllah.’ The reason is that emphasis ought to be laid on the name of Allah. However,if ‘I recite’ is placed at the beginning, the emphasis falls on the words ‘Irecite’ instead. Zamaksharī’s interpretation is very profound, hence I havealso adopted this in my understanding of this verse. In response to why iqra’ appears at the beginning of Sūrah al-‘Alaq,Zamakhsharī holds the view that here, the word ‘recite’ was emphasised becausethe Holy Prophet^sa hesitated to recite[4].Nonetheless, in bismillāh, the aim was not to emphasise the act of recitation;rather, it was intended that whilst reading the emphasis be laid on invokingthe name of Allah Almighty. Therefore, it is more apt to assume that the word ‘recite’is implied afterwards. This explanation of Zamaksharī too is most profound, andthese meanings support the evidence I presented above with regards to why bismillāh is placed before every sūrah in the Qur’an.

(اسم ism)

بسم bism is a compound word, which has been formed by joining the letter bā’ with the noun ism. The letter ء [hamzah][5] in the word ism has been dropped,resulting in bism. In the Arabic language, some hamzahs are silent.These are referredto ashamzatul-waṣl [thejoining hamzah]. However, here in bismillāh, the letter hamzah is not even written. According to the grammarians, the only reason fornot including the hamzah is due to its frequent use. Nisā’ī and Akhfash[6] believe that wherever the word ism occurswith the attributes of Allah the Almighty, hamzah ought to be omitted.However, Farrā’ believes that hamzah should be omitted only when writing bismillah,as its omission is established by textual precedent. However, in the case of other divine attributes, hamzah should not be omitted as there is no precedent for this.[7]

Ism means an attribute or a name.[8] This word is not derived from the Arabic letters ا-س-م, rather it is derived from the rootو-س-م orس-م-و.The و has beenchanged into ا. Those who think that it is derived from و-س-م, take it tomean a mark or a sign. However, those who believe that it is derived from theroot س-م-و, take it tomean ‘being lofty’.[9]

(الله Allah)

Allah is the name of that HolyBeing Who has existed from eternity and is Everlasting. He is the Living,Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. He is the Master, the Creator and Lord ofall creation. Moreover, this is God’s personal name, and not an attributivename. In no other language except Arabic is a personal name found to refer tothe Creator and Master of all things. It is only in the Arabic language that‘Allah’ is used as a personal noun, referring to the One and Only Being. It isused only to refer to God’s name. The word ‘Allah’ is a non-derivative noun [ismjāmid], and not a derived noun [ism mushtaqq], i.e., the word‘Allah’ has not been derived from any other word, nor is any word derived fromit.

Somepeople claim that the word Allah is derived from لاهَ يَلِيهُ Lāha Yalīhu, which means to be concealed, sublime and eminent.[10] However, this is incorrect. Others are of the opinion that ‘Allah’ is derivedfrom لاهَيَلُوهُ lāha yalūhu, whichmeans to shine. لاهَ اللهُ الخَلْقَ means ‘Allah created allthings.’ However, according to Lisānul-‘Arab[11] this meaning is not accepted by all. Thus, the view that it is derived from Lāha Yalīhu is utterly wrong. Some people, believing it to belong to a foreignlanguage, claim that it is derived from the Syriac word lāhā. However,this view also is altogether wrong, and is based on unfamiliarity with theSyriac language. Hence, some European scholars are of the opinion that theArabic word ilāh [deity] iscloser to its initial root-letters [of lāha ]. TheGerman scholar Nöldeke writes that the Arabic ilāh and the Hebrew īl have continued to exist inparallel since ancient times, and were used in the Semitic languages evenbefore the Hebrew and Arabic languages diverged from one another.[12]

( الرحمنar-Raḥmān)

Ar-Raḥmān is derived from the Arabic root ر-ح-م andis in the Arabic grammatical measure[13] of Fa‘lān. Words with this form carry the meaning to ‘fill’ and to be‘superior’.[14]Therefore, ar-Raḥmān refers to the possessor of such vast mercy that it encompasses everything. Thismercy is bestowed by such a Being Who expects nothing in return. No one candemand this mercy as their right.

(الرحيم ar-Raḥīm)

Ar-Raḥīm is also derived from ر-ح-م whichis in the Arabic grammatical measure of Fa‘īl,and signifiesrepetition and dealing with someone according to their due right.[15] Therefore, ar-Raḥīm means that for the one who deserves mercy by virtueof their effort, God bestows ample reward and continually sends down His Mercy.

The prolific grammarian, ImamAbū ‘Alī al-Fārisī states that,

اَلرَّحْمَنُ اسْمٌ عامٌّ فِي جَمِيعِ أَنْوَاعِ الرَّحْمَةِ يَخْتَصُّبِهِ اللهُ تَعَالَى. اَلرَّحِيمُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ في جِهَةِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَكَانَبِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

‘Ar-Raḥmān is a general attribute which comprises every type ofmercy, and is specific to Allah Almighty, whereas the attribute ar-Raḥīm isrelated to the believers.’[16]

This means that the mercy of ar-Raḥīm is specifically reserved for the virtuous. The evidence for this is in thefollowing verse of the Holy Qur’an:

وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَرَحِيمًا[17]

‘And He is Merciful (Raḥīm)to the believers’

Ibn Mas‘ūd^ra and Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī (ra) narrate that the Holy Prophet (sa) stated:

اَلرَّحْمَنُ رَحْمَنُ الدُّنْيَا، وَالرَّحِيمُ رَحِيمُ الآخِرَةِ

‘The attribute ar-Raḥmān [the Most Gracious] keeps in view God’s grace upon the world, while the attribute ar-Raḥīm [the Ever Merciful] keeps in view His Mercy as related to the Hereafter.’[18]

This also establishes that ar-Raḥmān refers to grace that is unconditional, and which is to be shown even unto thosewho are undeserving. This grace is prevalent in the world, while ar-Raḥīm refersto the eminent recompense that is to be bestowed for good deeds, as the Hereafteris the realm where rewards will be conferred.

Serialisation will continue in the next edition.

*NOTE: Some references were cited by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra) in the original at-Tafsir-ul-Kabir –The Grand Exegesis. Those references have been appended by the words [Author] in brackets. In some instances, however, the translation team has provided the references from modern-day editions of those works. For references below where these newer references have been added, we have added an asterisk and put the reference in boldface type.

[1] In the Arabic script, kasrah refers to a small diagonal line placed below the last letter of a noun thatsounds similar to ‘i’ according to the Royal Asiatic Society’s Transliteration.[Publishers]

[2] The Holy Qur’an, Sūrahal-‘Alaq 96:2. [Author]

[3] Mahmud Al-Zamakhshari wasan 11^th century scholar of Persian origin. He authored countlessbooks but is known particularly for his seminal work, Al-Kashāf, an exegesis of the Holy Qur’an.[Publishers]

[4] Bukharī, Kitābu Bad’il-Waḥyi, Bābu Bad’il-Waḥyi. [Author]

[5] Hamzah is a letter in theArabic alphabet and represents the glottal stop. [Publisher]

[6] Abu al-Khattab AbdulHamid, more commonly known as Al-Akhfash, was a prominent Arabic grammarian wholived in the 8^th century. [Publisher]

[7]* Muḥammadibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān an-Nifzī al-Barbarī Athīr al-Dīn Abū Ḥayyānal-Jayyānī al-Gharnāṭī al-Andalūsī, Al-Baḥrul-Muḥīṭ Vol.1 (Beirut,Lebanon: Dārul-Fikr,1992), 30. [Author]

[8]* al-Fayrūzabādī, Al-Qāmūs-ul-Muḥīṭ, (Beirut, Lebanon: Mu’assisatur-Risālah, 2005), 1297. [Author]

[9]* Saʻīdal-Khūrī Shartūnī, Aqrab-ul-mawārid fi Fusah al-‘Arabiyyah wa-al-shawārid (Qum, Iran: Manshūrāt Maktabat Āyat Allah al-Użmā al-Marāshī al-Najafī, 1403 AH(1982 or 1983)), 545-546. [Author]

[10]* Saʻīdal-Khūrī Shartūnī, Aqrab-ul-mawārid fi Fusah al-‘Arabiyyah wa-al-shawārid (Qum, Iran: Manshūrāt Maktabat Āyat Allah al-Użmā al-Marāshī al-Najafī, 1403 AH(1982 or 1983)). [Publishers]

[11]Lisānul-‘Arab isone of the most well-known Arabic dictionaries and the meanings are given basedon the root word. [Publisher]

[12]* Rev.T. K. Cheyne, Encyclopaedia Biblica: A Dictionary of the Bible Vol. 3 (London,England: The Macmillan Company, 1902), 3325. [Author]

[13] Arabic words are formed from three-letter (trilateral) roots. Complex words containing more than three letters are usually all derived from a basic three-letter root which has a general meaning. Variations in this three letter root are formed by applying them to a set pattern. The three letters of ف – ع –ل (meaning ‘to do’) are usually the base model used to build these patterns.

[14]* Muḥammadibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān an-Nifzī al-Barbarī Athīr al-Dīn Abū Ḥayyānal-Jayyānī al-Gharnāṭī al-Andalūsī, Al-Baḥrul-Muḥīṭ Vol.1 (Beirut,Lebanon: Dārul-Fikr,1992), 31. [Author]

[15]* Ibid.

[16]* al-Qinnawjī al-Bukharī, Fatḥul-Bayān fī Maqāṣid al-Qur’ān Vol. 1 (Beirut,Lebanon: Dār-ul-Kutub-ul-‘Ilmiyyah, 1999), 33. [Author]

[17] The Holy Qur’an, Sūrah al-Aḥzāb 33:44 [Author]

[18]* Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf bin ‘Alī ibn Yūsuf ibn Hayyān an-Nifzī al-Barbarī Athīr al-Dīn Abū Ḥayyān al-Jayyānī al-Gharnāṭī al-Andalūsī, Al-Baḥrul-Muḥīṭ Vol. 1 (Beirut, Lebanon: Dārul-Fikr, 1992), 31. [Author]

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